[Memory] To Start Somewhere

Gale goes through the process of "officially" signing up with the resistance.

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A large forest in Central Anaxas, the once-thriving mostly human town of Dorhaven is recovering from a bombing in 2719 at its edge.

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Gale
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:07 am
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Race: Human
Occupation: Metalsmith | Resistance Gunsmith
: Artful Gunner
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Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:22 am

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Somewhere | late at night
28 LOSHISH 2712
Gale did not see the point in all this induction business. Least for themselves. They had been running along with the resistance before they even reached double digits, a small face in the background that managed to slip by in the streets. Children were invisible to the eyes of many and that in turn made them useful. They were Artful; runner and messenger for the betterment of the lesser races.

But they were not a child anymore. Now they were a scruffy, messy, cropped hair nearly a teenager who managed to survive through their early years. Scrawny, most of them had shrunk into the oversized scarf and coat – they were the awkward age where nothing seemed to fit right. They fiddled with their buttons, awkwardly peering about the space, the eyes counting the various cracks and stains in the wall. Musky and damp, there was a creeping sense of awareness to the other odours that permeated the air. Rat was one of them.

The Cadets to be had been lead along into some dark, dank part of Vienda’s underground. Potential recruits blindfolded and drawn along by touches, prods and shoves until inevitably reaching their destination with their contact. In the case of Gale it was their father, Gunner – and he was presently leaning up against one of the walls with his features hidden behind the metal mask and hood. It was his trademark piece and a necessity too, he was the Resistance gunsmith and if his identity was compromised that would prove to be nothing but trouble for them. While he seemed at ease, currently rolling up a collection of cigarettes and placing them into a tin, Gale knew he was watching.

The gaze shifted from him to the rest of the room now. Windowless, a few lanterns here and there casting the room into a glow. Stone flooring, worn with a few puddles here and there. There was a faint background hum of machinery from above – marking them as being somewhere in the soot district. Another half dozen were there also; some blindfolded, others being their obvious keepers. With it came the creeping nerves, the turning of heads to the smallest of sounds, the blinking of eyes as their sight was revealed.

Sighing, they looked over to their father, the hands moving away from the buttons. They knew he was watching, even as their hands moved and spoke silently between them in sign.

“I am bored. Why do I have to do this?”
The fingers paused on their rolling. A single hand moved away, turning and shifting in response, “Because you must. For you are now of an age where you need to be responsible.”
“But I already am.”
“You are. But you need to show it to them.”


A huff escaped, arms folding as they leaned against the wall. The sooner this was over and done with, the better as far as they were concerned. At least then the pair of them could get back to the important things. Eyes lowering, the shoulders hunched in as the vetting of the Cadets began.

It was a peppered haired man who spoke, coal dust stained clothing and leathery skin. Gale knew him simply as Coal, though they imagined such a moniker came from his profession. His voice was loud, his ears somewhat deaf, but he all in all seemed like the right sort. Least as their father would describe. The young smith never did quite trust Gunner’s opinion on people.

“Alright, listen up,” Coal began, “Good to see some new faces here today. New potential. New blood. Only way to keep this all going, getting people like you. How else we going to break the wheel of this corrupted regime? Now you’ve all got the opportunity to step up thanks to the friends who brought you,” he cleared his throat, beady eyes sweeping across the faces, “Now, seems you’ve all earned some element of trust from your friends, and now you want to show us, prove what want is the same as us – its why you’re all here, right?”
When the last of us will disappear
Like shadows into the night
The broken ones, the fighting sons
Of ignorance

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Caina Rose
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Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:57 pm

Somewhere
on the 28th of Loshis, 2712 • Late at Night
There had been times, during the four day ride to Vienda, that Caina wondered if this was all worth it. She’d only worked with the resistance for a year or so, but her father’s contact thought that she was ready to be inducted. Caina agreed with their goals, of course- that wasn’t the reason she was nervous. It was just… even though she had grown a lot in the past year, Caina still felt like a little girl. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to become an official member of the freedom fighters. But the man, now her contact, instead of her father's, was insistent- so here she was. They’d gotten into the city this morning, and Caina had spent the day nervously pacing around their room in one of the city’s inns. Once the sun had set, she’d been blindfolded, and now here she was.

Caina scratched anxiously at an insect bite on her arm, glancing around the room. There were only a few others there, and the fighters who had recommended them. Obviously, she didn’t recognize anybody, except her contact, who was currently somewhere behind her. She clenched and unclenched her right hand, crushing the blindfold in between her fingers. There was movement out of the corner of her eye, and Caina turned her head to see one of the initiates moving their hands, in a motion easily recognizable as signing. Caina had seen it before, but the language was as alien to her as a piikii’s chatter. She glued her eyes to the hands, almost mesmerized by the fluidity with which they moved.

If they looked over, the other initiate would see Caina obviously staring, and they might notice the tenseness of her muscles, the anxiety written across her face. Usually good at keeping her emotions to herself, Caina was too anxious to focus on things like that. Here in the dark, she had begun to think this was all a trap, and that the familiar face of her tormentor would come from the shadows, trapping Caina as a sick grin spread across his cheeks.

These thoughts trapped her in place, and she flinched as the leader of the little group started to speak. She hadn’t been paying attention, and the young girl mentally berated herself for losing focus. That’s what got people killed. She inhaled a lungful of the dank, mildewy air, and tried to focus on what was being said.

Caina nodded, just a little, at the man’s question. She didn’t know him, and was only now realizing that her father’s contact hadn’t told her anything about what would take place here. A new wave of anxiety struck, and she desperately wanted to turn and run.

But there was nowhere to go but forward, so she steeled herself, lifted her chin, and tried to look like she knew what was going on.
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Gale
Posts: 254
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:07 am
Topics: 42
Race: Human
Occupation: Metalsmith | Resistance Gunsmith
: Artful Gunner
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Writer: Crosspatch
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Wed Jun 19, 2019 10:49 am

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Somewhere | late at night
28 LOSHISH 2712
The young smith shrunk into their scarf. Back against the wall, their fingers pulled and tugged upon the loose threads. Rough cotton, it twisted between their digits, fraying as they continued to pull. Coal was still talking, prodding and poking in his usual blunt force way. They had seen it before, several times now, but not under these exact circumstances. The eyes skirted around the feet of the others; worn leather peeling at the soles, wood clogs that splintered with flecks of paint, boots barely hanging on to their laces. The eyes continued to move, settling upon a girl’s, getting only part way up to the knee before snapping away.

She’s staring. Staring. What does she want? Rough nails. Taller. Older. But not old. Stop looking. Stop.

“Now, get it out your head that this ain’t some hand shake and dash,” Coal continued, “You’re either in, or you’re not. Ain’t no going back to what was after this. We see it to the end. You get cold feet, or think you can do a run – then you got another thing coming.”

The thread grew tight and then snapped. Gale exhaled.

“So, on this day you swear it,” he was moving about the group now, eyes turning intense as he weighed up those before him one by one, “You swear that you stand with us. That you will move to bring us all a better future. Not just for ‘em up there, but all of us. That we must keep us all secret less they get to us before our work is done.”

He paused in front of Gale, arms folded as he considered the scrawny frame, “You finally becoming a cadet, eh Artful?” The eyes fell upon Coal’s waistline, the various dark shades of coal dust leaving a gradient of tones across his clothing. They saw the chipped nails, saw the tuft of hair that peeked out upon his chest. He grunted, “You even gonna look at me when I talk?”

Gale’s eyes rolled up to him from beneath their brow, hesitating upon his chin and then resting upon his collar bone. The rest of them hunched in, fingers pausing in their twiddling. They heard him sigh and move on. Opposite she saw the eyes of Gunner narrow behind the mask, then return to rolling up his cigarettes

“We have rules here and these rules keep us all safe. You break ‘em, even by accident, makes you a problem. And problems get dealt with. You understand?” He raised a hand to his ear, “Said, you understand?”

There was a mumble of noise from the group.

“Right. To rules then,” He raised a finger, “Rule number one, don’t talk about the resistance. Rule two, don’t talk about the resistance. I know it’s the same, but a lot back in the day got dead by not remembering that one. Get in your skulls and keep it there.” He tapped the side of his skull in emphasis.

“Rule three, don’t bring your personal shit to work. We’re few in number and we can’t save your hide from those scrapes. Rule four, never give away secrets by speaking out of code, including your real name. Rule five, Don’t fight among yourselves. Them, out there? That’s the real bad ones, not in here.”

He gave a snort then, “Now, who’s gonna give a guess at rule six?”
When the last of us will disappear
Like shadows into the night
The broken ones, the fighting sons
Of ignorance
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Caina Rose
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Thu Jun 20, 2019 2:34 am

Somewhere • Anaxas/Vienda
on the 28th of Loshis, 2712 • during the night
The Rose was a shithole, but at least it had the smell of the ocean to wash away most everything else. Vienda had no such luxury, and these tunnels seemed to hold the decrepit smells from all over the city. If Caina focused, she thought that she could smell bread cooking, but surely they were nowhere near any bakeries. They hadn’t walked far enough to be in a separate part of the city, and Caina was sure that there were no bakeries near the inn where she was staying. Likely it was actually far away, drifting on some breeze through the tunnel. Or it was created in these tunnels, specifically to keep cadets from knowing where they were.

As soon as Coal began speaking once more, Caina tore her gaze away from the other cadet, and focused on him. She hated the idea of being singled out, especially if he caught her not paying attention. The idea of being a Resistance member for all of five seconds and already getting in trouble caused her guts to twists, much like the blindfold as it crumpled and uncrumpled in her grasp. It got even worse as Coal continued to talk, and Caina didn’t need anyone to spell out exactly what was being said. If she tried to leave, they would kill her. If Caina joined the Resistance, she was stuck for life. Simple enough, especially when you know that this is the only path you can take.

As Coal raked his gaze over Caina, she stopped breathing. It was only for a moment, before he moved on to the next cadet, but long enough for Caina to feel lightheaded. She took another deep breath, and tried to remember what he was saying. This was for the greater good, they were helping people. Caina would help people.

Her attention was drawn back to the other cadet as Coal paused in his speech. Artful… that was an interesting name. Obviously a code name, but Caina wondered what it meant. The cadet didn’t look much different from anyone else, there was nothing to distinguish them or give Caina a hint as to the reason behind the name. Maybe it was chosen at random? It was hard to imagine the Resistance doing anything at random, but Caina tried. You should never rule anything out until you’re certain that it’s wrong. Otherwise, Caina knew, you’d find yourself likely bleeding out in a back alley somewhere. She smiled at a memory; it was a bloody one, but still good. At least in retrospect.

Caina watched the rest of the exchange curiously, but focused on Coal when he continued to move. She replied with a quiet,
“Yes, sir,”
Just like everybody else.

The rules were simple, mostly common sense. There was no use to focus energy on memorizing them, because they were the rules of the streets. The rule that a family in trouble abided by. And in a way, the Resistance was a family.

There was a moment of absolute silence as all the cadets looked at each other. Finally, Caina stepped forward. It wasn’t enough to even be considered a step, more like a shuffle of feet to get Coal’s attention on her.
“Don’t… die?”
She guessed, knuckles white as bone where they gripped the blindfold. Then, she paused. There had been a pattern in the other rules. They were all about secrecy, for the most part.
"No, wait- don't tell people where the resistance is located?"
As soon as she was done speaking, Caina stepped back into line, dropping her head to avoid Coal's gaze.
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Gale
Posts: 254
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:07 am
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Occupation: Metalsmith | Resistance Gunsmith
: Artful Gunner
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Mon Jul 01, 2019 8:59 am

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Somewhere | late at night
28 LOSHISH 2712
Coal waggled a finger at the speaker. Lazily, Gale drunk her in – skirting mainly around the feet and hands. The others were the same, nervously observing as they weighed up each other. Who was good to know? Who was trouble? Who would be first to fail the cause?

Not Gale, that was for certain.

“Yes, not dying is a recommended path of action for any of us,” he chuckled at that, “But the last one, nail on the head.”

“Whenever you come down here, less you’re one who’s in the know – you’ll be blindfolded. Can’t have you know where you’re going on where you are. Because if you know, then they’ll find out. Think it as a matter of safety for all of us,” He stepped back to the front, fingers resting upon his belt as he surveyed the group, “Six rules. Easy to remember. Not hard.”

Gale’s eyes shifted to the front, watching him pose and take command, “So, who’s ready to swear it? Come forth and give it.”

They noticed the small shift in Gunner then, the way the sole of his boot scrapped upon the uneven stone floor. He was done rolling his cigarettes, tucking them and the case into one of his inside pockets. But they did not miss the movement of the other hand, the silent talking that made the young smith tense.

“You first.”

Perhaps that was the real reason he had done this. A set up for someone who was already comfortable with the ideals of the resistance but yet to formally join – if that was even such a thing. Hands in pockets, Gale forced themselves into movement. Already they felt the eyes turn. Attention drawn on their shoulders. The small pull of a smile into a grimace from Coal.

“You first then Artful?” the arms folded, “Right then. Look at me in the eye.”

Artful stopped before him. Lips pulling, they stiffly tilted their head back to look. It hesitated on his chin, before the hand clamped down on the top of their skull. Forcibly it was tilted up the rest of the way, their jaw tightening as they were forced to meet his gaze. Stuck there he released them.

“You’re swearing it, aren’t you? That you’ll up hold our rules. That you’ll be one to join us family to stand up against those who would push us down. To further our gains on our path to equality until we can stand shoulder to shoulder. For a better future for mankind. No matter what it takes. You swear it, boy?”

It should have been easy to say, to let those words out. The voice caught at the back of their throat, that small tremble down their leg. Swallowing, they saw the eyes that judged – their hands momentarily paralysed in place.

“You swea-”
“I swear it,”
the voice was forced out. A rough, clipped sound, the shoulders raised as they exhaled, “I swear it. And the bloody rules. Ye happy? For the betterin’ of all and the future and the children and showin’ ‘em we can be better than ‘em, ye chen?”

Puffing their cheeks, Coal gave a nod. His hand clasped tightly upon their shoulder, squeezing, “Then from today onwards you’re a Cadet Artful. Now, go stand with the others like a good lad.” Already his attention had moved onto the rest, “Next, if you’re brave enough?”[/style2]
When the last of us will disappear
Like shadows into the night
The broken ones, the fighting sons
Of ignorance
User avatar
Caina Rose
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri May 31, 2019 6:10 pm
Topics: 7
Race: Human
Character Sheet: Character Sheet
Plot Notes: Plot Notes
Writer: Bash
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Wed Jul 03, 2019 4:33 pm

Somewhere • Anaxas/Vienda
on the 28th of Loshis, 2712 • during the night
N o one needed to tell Caina who ‘they’ were. They were the galdori, the Seventen. The humans who weren’t Resistance. They were wicks. Anyone who was against the cause. And soon it would be Caina’s cause as well.

The one called Artful stepped forward. It wasn’t surprising, given that Coal apparently knew the child already. A little bit of the tension eased out of Caina’s shoulders at the knowledge that she wouldn’t be the first; she’d have a guide to watch.

Whoever Artful was, they were interesting. Caina continued to watch the interaction, surprised that Coal was so willing to touch Artful, to force their head to be exactly where Coal wanted it to be. Caina was surprised at the curl of anger in her stomach- part of her wanted to reach out, to make Coal stop whatever he was doing that was obviously upsetting Artful. But her father’s contact had told her- “Don’t embarrass me.” So she stayed quiet.

There was a moment of silence when Coal finished speaking, and Caina wondered for a moment if Artful was going to change their mind. But instead there was a snapped reply, almost defensive for seemingly no reason. Coal released him, and Artful stepped away. As the older man turned to look at the rest, eyes glittering in the firelight, Caina took a deep breath. She wasn’t ready yet, and kept her head down while several others moved forward. They all took the oath, voices echoing off stone, and Caina lifted her head, finally stepping forward.

It was a small miracle that her footsteps weren’t shaky, that her knees didn’t give out on the way. Standing before Coal, a hand went to the space between her collarbones, where her father’s ring was tucked safely under her shirt. What would her father think? Technically, she was joining in his footsteps, although Caina had no idea h=exactly how involved in the Resistance he had been. Looking around the room, at the many darkened tunnels that lead out of this space, Caina realized that she didn’t know her father as well as she’d thought. Maybe she didn’t know him at all.

Her hand dropped quickly to her side as Coal finished his speech once more.
“I swear it.”
She answered, and her voice didn’t shake.
“Forever and ever, I swear it.”


She was quick to step back into line, desperate to no longer be the center of attention. Her eyes glanced once more at Artful, then back to where Coal was starting again with another recruit.
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